28 Junio 2016 ... Para siempre Dios este con vos.

     Well. I've heard of so many missionaries that have sent out their last email or blog post and are just overcome with emotion; with sadness, fright, anxiety, or excitement. And it's kinda weird, because I don't really feel like that. It doesn't feel like I'm going home this week. It just kinda feels like another transfer coming up. Actually, not even another transfer coming up, it feels like I'm staying in Miami Beach but with a bunch of packed suitcases, haha. I've been working my absolute hardest, going so hard. I've been testifying and inviting all that I can, going by love and going by the Spirit.

     It hasn't fully hit me yet. And I hope that it doesn't come very soon, because I will be heartbroken when it does. Actually, it will probably hit me tomorrow as we drive up to the mission home. But I will never, ever, for as long as I live regret serving a mission. I have savored this 18 months, used them to the best of my ability, and given them to the Lord. Just before I was set apart to serve as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I was getting ready, brushing my teeth or something in the bathroom. And I asked my younger sister to get out her iPod and speaker, so that I could hear a song one more time. That song was "I Lived" by One Republic. I chose it because I wanted to be able to sing those lyrics about my mission when I finished, namely these lines: "I did it all, I owned every second that this world can give... with every broken bone, I swear I lived."

      Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, mis queridos hermanos y hermanas, I still have some time left before I return home on Thursday, but I will be able to honestly say about my mission: I did it ALL, I owned every second that this world can give, ... I LIVED.

     I will forever be so incredibly grateful that my beloved Father in Heaven gave me this opportunity to serve and to grow. And now 2 Timothy 4:6-8 has a new meaning for me. I gave it my all up until the very end. I served with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength. I finished strong.

      

     2 Timoteo 4:7

 He peleado la buena batalla, he acabado la carrera, he guardado la fe.

     

  I'm going to quote my dear friend that recently returned from her mission in Virginia (because she is far more eloquent than I and said it so well): "I have felt the Lord's redeeming love in own life and seen it change the lives of others. I understand more than ever the power of Christ's Atonement. It is the most important doctrine we can ever learn about. It's scope is infinite, it's effects eternally felt. Through it we can overcome any challenges we may experience in this life, whether they be emotional, physical, mental, or spiritual, whether our pain comes as a result of sin, the poor choices of others, or the natural challenges of life. The Atonement overcomes all.I have experienced some of the sweetest friendships of my life during this time that I know will last into the eternities. I am so thankful for the people I have met who have taught, served, and loved me. From companions to investigators, members to my dear mission president and his wife, I have been richly blessed. "

  

      I know that my Redeemer lives. I gave 18 months of my life to serve as a missionary. And now I will continue as a disciple of Christ for all of my life. I add my testimony to that of Moroni, and all of the other great prophets and apostles and missionaries that have testified of the divine truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that we have the fullness of the truth in the Lord's church today, that perfect church has been restored and it is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And if you say that I'm incorrect, "judge ye".   <<<That's one of my favorite new lines of scripture. 

I know that these things are true. Nothing can ever change that. Nothing could ever make me deny it. I love my Savior and I will follow Him.

Éter 12:37

...tú has sido fiel; por tanto, tus vestidos estarán limpios. Y porque has visto tu debilidad, serás fortalecido, aun hasta sentarte en el lugar que he preparado en las mansiones de mi Padre.  

I love you all so very much. I will see you soon.

Shall We Not Go On in So Great a Cause?

Les quiero a todos. La iglesia es verdadera. Gracias por todo que han hecho por mí. Les veré pronto.

        

     Misión cumplida 

~

Hermana Samantha Curnow

Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission

17 Diciembre 2014 - 30 Junio 2016

20 Junio 2016

Not really much to say. Everybody is making, "Oh, Sister Curnow is dying soon" jokes. And I'm not upset about that at all, it just comes with the territory. What's bizarre is that deep inside, I just don't' really feel like I'm going home. I'm just a missionary. It's kinda weird, but I'm ok with it. Still working hard, banging on all cylinders (<<< Dad, I know that you are so proud that I know what that means, haha).

    Things are going well. We had zone conference, and I always just LOVE those! Zone conferences really are the best. Sister Neeley and I got a little bit sick, so that was inconvenient. We're both in the WORK LIKE CRAZY mode and so being sick was a bit of a hindrance to that. I was like, "Really?! Last 2 weeks of my mission, and I get another cold?!"

It's alright.

     Other than that, things are going good. We had a fun Father's Day activity, our ward is just so cute! <3 I love them all.

      I love the gospel. I love missionary work; it has changed me. I love the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission, there is no place I'd rather be. Yo se que esta iglesia es la verdadera iglesia de Jesucristo. Lo se, y no lo puedo negar. Sere siempre agradecida por esta oportunidad que tengo para server a los demas y ayudarles a sentir el amor de Cristo y a venir a el.

      I love you all. Thank you for changing my life. <3

Talk to you next week!

~Hermana Curnow

13 Junio 2016

I'm doing really badly with this blogging thing, haha! Especially considering that I have about two weeks left on my mission. Man, time flies! I never thought that this month would come so quickly. The great and terrible day approaches. It's exciting and scary at the same time; but mostly scary. I love my mission so much. I just don't want good things to end.

    We had two baptisms this weekend, and one the Saturday before! :) Jose got baptized and recieved el Sacerdocio Aaronico, and then he baptized  Yosmar (esposa) and Jose (his son) the next week! I was so happy for them, they're such a special family! The Spirit's peaceful presence was there at the baptisms and confirmations without a doubt. I was also delighted to recieve the news and pictures of the marriage & baptism of the Haitian family that I worked with for 3 months in Boca Raton!!!! The Lord is so good. :)

          The sister training leaders had a sleepover and fire exchange with us. Sister Anderson and Sister Hebdon are a hoot, so that was fun! Sister Neeley and I have been doing lots of OYMing, knocking, walking, trolley-sighting, LARC hunting, former searching, unplanned wildlife spotting, etc. Living the good life. :) The work is hard at times, and Florida can be super humid and hot, but this is the best thing that I have ever experienced in my life- and I owe it all to my Savior. I'm so grateful for this incredible opportunity. I'm so excited for these upcoming weeks, and also zone conference tomorrow - YAY!! :D

Love you all!! Talk to you soon!

~Hermana Curnow

         

P.S. Hermana Laub- I used those special bubbles that you gave me at the MTC. They were used at the baptism to entertain the two-year old. ;) Gracias y te quiero!

23 Mayo 2016

       Honestly, I don't feel much different now than when I first got to Florida. I know that I've changed a lot as a person, I've learned a lot more about the gospel, I've spirituall developed, I speak Spanish much better now, etc.

       But I don't FEEL much different. I'm basically just a lot more tired in the mornings (you can feel the 18 months starting to take a toll on you, haha). I'm a little disturbed by that because I can see the finish line, it's coming quick, but I want to sprint as fast as I ever have been able to in order to accomplish all that I can.

       Other than that, we're just seeing some great progress in our area. We have a lot of people progressing towards baptism, and some miracle referrals are popping up (plus a woman that was walking her dog in the church parking lot. We invited her to church, and sure enough, she showed up on Sunday)!

       The Lord is so incredibly merciful and generous, far more than we will ever deserve. I know that He lives and loves us, and that this is His true gospel. I know it with every fiber of my soul. I've found out for myself, and I encourage you to do the same. Los quiero a todos!

        ~Hermana Curnow

9 Mayo 2016

Things are going pretty good right now! :) We have 100% adjusted to this awesome area and ward. I really do enjoy every single day of working here. :)

   Got to Skype my family yesterday! It's always way weird. Don't get me wrong- I love it a ton! But its difficult trying to talk with them and bear your testimony and tell them about your amazing experiences and hear about all of the stuff that your siblings are doing when you only have one hour. There's a balance with a time restriction, lol! But it was great being able to talk with them yesterday. :)

   We found some cool people this last week. Not tons of them, but some cool people nonetheless! Unfortunately nobody made it to church. :/ We're gonna be chatting about that.

    Not much to talk about, really. Hermana Neeley and I are working hard and I'm working harder on fortifying my understanding of testimony and repentance. I'm close to finishing the Book of Mormon again. We study, we eat, we testify and invite and we love the people and we walk and walk and walk get tan and walk and teach a lesson and drink some water then walk and plan and sleep.

   I know that this gospel is true, there is no doubt in my heart or mind. I've received so many manifestations and confirmations of a spiritual nature, I could never nor would I ever deny the truth of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias es la verdadera iglesia del Senor, establecida de nuevo por la mano de Cristo. Jesucristo es nuestro salvador y redentor, y lo amo.

    Love y'all!

Have an amazing week! :)

    ~Hermana Curnow

Vamos a la playa ;)

  So, I don't think that I mentioned this before (and again, I am the WORST at updating this blog! I'll probably do a mega-post when I get home, basically a novel to explain everything that happened in each area ;P ) but there was an emergency transfer. And now we serve right along the beach! :) It's pretty spiffy! And there are SO many people to talk to here, and about 98% of the people are Spanish! <3 It's like heaven on earth!

  We're working with some really awesome folks right now, most of them are from Venezuela but we really do have a lot of great diversity around here. The "list of countries" that I have met people from keeps growing! Hint: its really long and I think that the only massive countries that I am missing at this point are Russia and Australia. But hey, who knows? I may have actually met some people from those places without realizing it. It wouldn't surprise me!

   We also found some places that sell Brazilian food (YES!!! I'm so happy!) and I blew some personal money on t-shirts and other touristy stuff for myself and my family. 

    Something scriptural that I want to share before I log off is Alma 58:11. It's a really beautiful scripture, and it makes me think about how the Lord really is always ready to comfort us. He is the only one that knows EXACTLY what we are going through and how to help us. He speaks peace to our souls and strengthens us to overcome our challenges. With faith and hope in the Messiah and his plan, we never need to fear. No matter what the affliction, we can and should always be cheerful.

        Con amor, 

      ~Hermana Curnow

For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, insert your name here.

 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Porque, ¿puede una mujer olvidar a su niño de pecho al grado de no compadecerse del hijo de sus entrañas? ¡Pues aun cuando ella se olvidare, yo nunca me olvidaré de ti, su nombre!

Pues he aquí, te tengo grabada en las palmas de mis manos; tus muros están siempre delante de mí.

Transfers!

I'll fill y'all in later, but for now I just want you to know that after 13 weeks in Boca Raton, I'm going to be transferring out. And I'm going to South Miami! I'm excited for Spanish-land :) love you all! More updates later! :)

14 Marzo 2016

    Have I mentioned that I am TERRIBLE at updating this thing? I'll do a really long and detailed blog post someday after the mission (NOT a trunky thought), I promise!

    So a ton of cool things have happened in the last month. Some of the biggest things were that we started a new transfer; and I currently live with Sister Smith, Sister Rocha and Sister Jeppson! They're also super awesome missionaries and I really am grateful that I get to live with them. We have tons of fun together, too. :)

       On March 1st, we had a special training by Elder Dube of the Seventy, so that was AWESOME! We are also working with a great Haitian family, and we're aiming to help them get baptized before General Conference. OH, I'm SO excited for General Conference!

       We've been doing some more knocking all over our area. Sometimes it is difficult, there is so much rejection. The sad thing is that people deny the gospel before they even know what it is or what the blessings are. :( But we continue to pray for them daily!

      We've been deep-cleaning our apartment a ton, too. I think that it helps lift my mood. I LOVE cleaning for some weird reason!

        Also, fun thing- after zone training a small group of us sisters went to B-Dubs! It was great! :) AND a nice bishop from another ward picked up our tab, and the manager said that from now on he is giving a 10% discount to all missionaries- WHAT A BLESSING! Holy cow! We were so moved and grateful!

      What else?... Oh, yeah. Daylight savings was yesterday. I'm SO tired! It throws off your internal clock so hardcore, ESPECIALLY when you have such a strict routine.

     Anyways, I gotta go! But enjoy this AMAZING quote about missions! Have a great week! :) 

                  Alma 17:10

   ~Hermana Curnow

         "You only get one chance to serve a mission...  Use it to the fullest...  Give every last ounce of energy until you collapse at the end of it...  All of the hardships all of the years will be looked back upon as the best thing you've ever done... Because you gave it everything you had when you didn't think you could.  Live your mission to your fullest, work harder than you've ever worked before... Run until you have nothing left to give and then keep on going anyway.  Cry and Pray and Work and Sweat and Plead until you are so drained that all you can do is turn to the Lord.  Come out of your mission proud of what you've done and this experience will bless the rest of your life."

-Elder Jeffery R. Holland-

16 Febrero 2016

Happy late-Valentine's Day! 

Have I mentioned that I am the WORST at updating this blog? :) I thought so, haha!

  What is new?

Well, I've been running a TON again lately! :) Sister Peel and I got up one morning and decided to run 3 miles. We did it! And it was MARVELOUS. I wasn't even that sore the next day (MIRACLE). And so we had been running at least 2 miles every morning after that UNTIL I got sick. :( I got a nasty cold like this last transfer, too! I HATE being sick, especially in the mission field! Missions don't last forever, I gotta be out there getting stuff done! So I'm currently dying of being ill. But its whatever. Sister Smith is doing great at telling me, "Oh my gosh, get some rest before you kill yourself." So I'm getting there. Can't cure a virus, unfortunately. So I just have to wait this out. -_-

    I've been so healthy, though! I've been working out like crazy, eating super healthy (the cleanest that I have eaten my whole mission!) and then- BOOM! I'm ill. 

     What else? Oh, we're doing TONS of knocking. :) Really cool! I'm getting more comfortable with knocking in middle-class neighborhoods. We've been working with some GREAT people! Particularly a young married couple (one is Brazilian, one is "American") and they're way awesome! I love teaching them! Other than that, we're still just looking for the elect.

     I have learned SOOOOOO much about China in this last transfer! A recent convert and her son in this ward are in the United States on a temporary basis, and they're from mainland China. And we learn so much about each others' language and culture each time we have a lesson or have dinner with them! For example, (since we have lessons with both English and Chinese reading material) she looked at us when we were giving a new member lesson (#3, the Gospel of Jesus Christ) and she looked at the text in Chinese and then looked up at us and said, "I think that the word 'gospel' translates to 'voice of happiness'."  MIND BLOWN!! How cool is that?!?! :D We also told them about what the Superbowl is and why it is such a big deal in our culture.

       OH. I just learned that the Superbowl happened! Haha, we were out knocking doors one Sunday, and everyone was grilling stuff and told us, "Don't y'all know that the Superbowl is going on??" We didn't! Haha, we had no idea! :D Amazing how we work in the community everyday and simultaneously live under a rock. ;)

    Also, we just learned that David Bowie and Alan Rickman died. WOW. That wasn't expected!

Transfer calls were also last night! Sister Smith and I will be staying together in this area for another transfer. We're happy about it. :) Sister Peel is leaving. :( But she gets to go and be Sister Evans' companion! :D And Sister Rocha is also sticking around a little longer! Life is good! God is good! 

      Oh, did I mention that the STLs came down and did a shadow exchange with the Boca Rio sisters and us? No? Well, it was fun! :) Sister Andelin was with Sis Smith and I. It was a blast! We went to the ward's Valentine's Day Dinner & Dance to get some food and talk to some gators there. It was SO WEIRD to be in a party/dance setting again, even though we didn't participate. Good stuff! :)

     Well, I gotta go try to sleep off some of this grossness. Viruses suck. 

     Love you all so much! El evangelio es verdadero! Les quiero a todos!

    ~Hermana Curnow

25 Enero 2016

      Long time, no update, my apologies. This is probably how it is going to be for the remainder of my mission. :P Too much to write about, and not enough email time. I'll do a HUGE entry with stuff from my daily planners, details from what I have journal-ed, and TONS of pictures. Just remind me to do it one day. ;)

      Things in Boca Raton have been AWESOME. :) This place is a miracle factory! We're working with some really awesome folks right now, and we're seeing a lot of less-active members coming back. We've been meeting lots of awesome families, visiting members, knocking lots of doors, biking a ton, hiding when we heard the tornado sirens go off (yes, that did happen. The tornado didn't come close to us, though, thank goodness). We've meet people from just about met one person from every culture on the PLANET (Southern Florida is the BIGGEST melting pot EVER). We've also had some amazing, heart-felt moments. The Spirit has been so strong in some of our lessons, and it brings me so much joy. At the end of the day, that feeling is what makes it all worth it. Through all of the stress, trainings, studies, exchanges, heartbreaks, physical pain, worry, and just about everything on the human spectrum of emotion; the feeling of the Spirit, and the knowledge that you are helping other people coming closer to Christ is what carries you through it all. I love that feeling. It is wonderful. <3

       Also, last week we had a zone activity, a collective birthday party (Sister Smith and I got very good at seeking in hide-'n-seek, and I also learned no pinata can stop me). We went on exchanges, and I got to go to Boynton with Sister PK! It was awesome!! :) We had a blast.

      Florida weather is also way off right now. We have been experiencing mid- 40 degree Fahrenheit weather! WHAT?!?! Crazy!! We have been FREEZING!!! 

    I'm still making smoothies all the time, working out with Sister Peel in the mornings, and Sister Smith had me go to Tijuana Flats for the first time this week. It was great!! :)

That's all for now! Love y'all!

 

       

11 Enero 2016

One time in Naples, after a meal appt with one of our Bolivian members, she gave us a home-grown papaya to take home with us. We were on bikes. So I got to look like a fool and bike with a big ol' papaya in my hand the mile ride back to our car. :P Then we took it home, and I remembered vaguely how one member in my first ward made us a papaya milkshake. I decided to do the same, and it tasted pretty good! :)

Also, Sister Evans and I went with Sister Smith and Sister Rianda (the Vanderbilt sisters) to dinner at Chic-Fil-A. <3  We were eating, and a family in the booth behind us were snapchatting. The young mom and one of her kids were taking a pic, and so I ducked my head down just a little lower, made the most ridiculous face that I could muster, and photo-bombed the snapchat. She saw it 2 seconds after she took the picture, stood up, turned around, and started busting up laughing. Both booths were CRACKING UP! :) 

 Every morning I would make a smoothie with almond milk, mixed berries, spinach, yogurt, ground flax seeds and chia seeds. I got so healthy. :)

Those were some of my favorite memories in Naples from last transfer. Then I transferred.

      I was REALLY sad to hear on the transfer call that I was leaving. Granted, I had been there for a LONG time. 4 transfers (about 6 months!!). We had been eating dinner with the family of the previous bishop in the ward, and I told them that we had transfer calls that night. They told me, "Oh, yeah. You've been here for a long time!" I then realized that I was a goner. :P They're such good people, and I'm glad that I got to say good-bye to them. Didn't get to do that for the whole ward, which saddens me. I will be visiting them VERY soon, though.

   I was especially sad to be leaving Sister Evans. We've had a really good run together. Miss my hijita. Heck, I miss my whole district, back there! EVERYONE in the Naples Zone was really close. </3 We went and got some shakes at Steak n' Shake (cookie butter, YUM!!) and went tracting after I had finished packing. We knocked in this one apartment complex, and I know that I had knocked our main area at least twice by now, but we ended up on one door on the upper floor in one of these apartment buildings. And I looked around, and realized that I had knocked this exact same door before. One my last day in Naples, I knocked the exact same apartment building that I had knocked on my very first day in Naples with Sister Rammell. Strangely poetic? Idk.

     After that, we went and dropped in Adriana and Bardomiano. We had forgotten the phone (oops) and so we just hoped and prayed that they were home so that I could say goodbye to them. We were blessed, and they were there! We shared 1 Nephi 21:15-16 with them and discussed it a little bit. I then told them that I would be leaving, and expressed how sad I was that I would not be able to attend their upcoming wedding and baptism. But I let them know that I would for sure come back to Florida for their sealing in the temple! Adriana told me that they were sad that I would leave, but happy that I would go and find other people to bring the gospel to. "You will be our first missionaries." she told me. It nearly put me to tears when she said those things. She told me that if it wasn't for Sister Evans and I, they wouldn't have found the gospel and be down this path that they are on now. She then bore her testimony of the Book of Mormon to me. Bardomiano said the closing prayer as well, and expressed thanks for having me be here to meet them and asked that I have success wherever I go. It was one of THE most bittersweet moments of my mission; the other two were very similar: saying good-bye to Maida and to Celina.

     So then a wonderful member of the Vanderbilt ward came the next morning, loaded up our stuff in our truck and drove us to Plantation (she excitedly pointed out a drug bust to us on Alligator Alley. "They got him! They ripped that car apart, look at all the stuff of the ground!" she exclaimed. SO FUNNY! :) ). We then went to Plantation, loaded up all of our stuff and headed to Boca Raton. Sister Smith and I white-washed into the area, so we basically had NO idea what we were doing. The first few days were extremely confusing and exciting and frustrating. We blew one of our tires on our way to our meal appointment with the bishop (first night in the area, haha). We met with him, knocked into a CRAZY woman, met another CRAZY woman at Firestone while we got our tire changed, met our awesome Ward Mission Leader, found out that our DL is going home at the end of this transfer, and SURPRISE! He's my first district leader, Elder Ortiz! I met a Brazilian lady that I was actually able to communicate with (Portuguese and Spanish speakers can often understand each other really well, they just can't speak one another's language). I've been SUPER tired these past few days, it happens each time that I switch coasts in the mission!  We also had a fire exchange (Sister PK is my STL now, WHAT?? :D ), we had a cool Book of Mormon lesson in 3 Nephi 11 with a new investigator, had an AMAZING ward council training yesterday before church by the Stake President. And we got to know the ward members, and today after email time we'll be playing a district soccer game. Good stuff. Love y'all! Talk to you next week! La iglesia es verdadera!!! <3

         ~Hermana Curnow

5 Enero 2016

It's a new year, and I'm getting transferred back to the East Coast! I have no time to write, I'll update y'all next week!

      ~Hermana Curnow